Driving mechanism for combines



OC- 26, 1954 J. DEcHENTRElTl-:R 2,692,465

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR COMBINES Filed May 4, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l Oct 26, 1954 J. DEcHx-:NTREITER 2,692,465

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR COMBINES Filed May 4, 1951 2 SheetsSheet 2 jg. .s

Patented Oct. 26, 1954 DRIVING MECHANISM FOR COMBINES Josef Dechentreiter, Baumenheim, near Donauworth, Germany Application May 4, 1951, `Serial No. 224,468

Claims priority, application Germany January 13, 1951 2 Claims. l

In the harvesting of cereals combined mowing and threshing machines in which the cereals are mowed, threshed and the threshed out straw is bound into sheaves which are discharged, are nowadays more and more extensively used.

In such mowing and threshing machines it often happens that disturbances occur during the mowing either because a foreign body enters into the teeth of the mowing beam or because of the unevenness of the ground, a large stone or the like may be encountered on the way or when turning. In all these cases and also when turning the combined mower and threshing machine has to be stopped. However, the threshing drum, the elevator, the press, etc. have a considerable rotative moment or great inertia which prevents an immediate stoppage. On the other hand, a substantial motor power is required to restart the operation of these parts since the large masses have first of all to be accelerated before restarting the operation.

The object of the invention is to overcome these diiculties and to produce a combined mowing and threshing machine the mowing parts oi which can be quickly rendered inoperative without there being a large power loss when restarting.

According to the invention, in the case of a combined mowing and threshing machine in which the drive ci the individual parts is eiected from a common shaft, for instance from the shaft of a threshing drum, which in its turn is driven by a motor, the drive of the individual aggregates is divided into two groups of which one, namely that lying in the feeding direction of the cereals before the threshing drum, can be disconnected by means of a coupling from the latter and from the group lying beyond it. If an unexpected obstacle is encountered by this machine, only those parts are disconnected from the general drive which are directly affected by the obstacle, more particularly the mowing devices, whilst those parts which have great inertia, more particularly the threshing drum Iand the individual aggregates of the threshing machine lying behind the drum, continue to be driven. It will be clear that in this way the operation is very adaptable to the prevailing conditions, whilst the power consumption is at the same time reduced.

Preferably, the detachable coupling is inserted between the shaft of the threshing drum and a further shaft, for instance, the driving shaft for the driving cylinder of the upper conveying band, and comprises an adjustable tension roller by the adjustment oi which the belt drive between the shaft of the threshing drum and the band cylinder is either tensioned or loosened, thereby providing a soft coupling and uncoupling.

According to a further feature oi the invention the tension roller is so disposed that when it is loosened a brake becomes effective, whereby the running band cylinder at the running ofi end and thus also the following on parts drivingly connected 'therewith lare quickly brought to a standstill.

One example of construction according to the invention is illustrated in theA accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a side view oi a combined mowing and threshing machine according to the invention,

Figure 2 is a plan View of the coupling arrangement between the shaft of the threshing drum and the shaft of the band cylinder on an enlarged scale.

Figure 3 is a section along the line III- III of Figure 2, and

Figure 4 is a side view of the adjusting device.

l is the framework of a mowing and threshing machine according to the invention, supported in the usual way on only two wheels, of which one wheel 2 is seen in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 1, a header mechanism H, a feeder mechanism F and a thresher mechanism T are carried by the framework l. The source oi power for the individual aggregates of the machine is a motor 3 which drives the shaft 5 of the threshing drum by means of a belt d. The shaft 5 drives a straw press 'l by a belt i5, an elevator 9 by a belt 8 and from the elevator a scattering blower il is operated by a belt The individual aggregates referred to are in constant operative connection with the motor 3.

The shaft 5 of the threshing drum also'drives yby a V-belt l2, those parts which are to be disconnected with any obstacles or the like are encountered. 'Ihe belt l2 runs from a disc I3 mounted on the shaft 5 of the threshing drum and whch may have a comparatively small diameter, over a disc i6 of very large diameter to the tension roller il, which again may have a small diameter. The diameter of the disc It is larger since only a comparatively small part of its periphery is in engagement with the belt I2 whilst the discs i3 and il are surrounded ap proximately by the belt. The disc I6 is mounted on the shaft I8 of the upper band cylinder. The shaft 3 is in positive engagement with the shaft 2l of the lower band cylinder by the toothed wheels I9, 20 which constitute a drive connection. The two shafts I8 and 2I drive the conveying bands or feeder mechanism 22 and 23. The conveying band 23 runs over a loose feeding roller 2&3, running therewith, in the proximity of the mowing beam 25, whilst the conveying band 22 is led over a loose roller 26 in the proximity of the band rollers. The upper shaft I8 drives by a belt 21 and a reducing gear 28, 29 a windlass 30, which throws the cut cerealson. to. the con..- veying band 23, thereby assisting the transport. Guiding surfaces 3I, 32 providecrop dividing means as is known in the art. 45 is a system of rod engageable at 32 to a tractor (not shown), which pulls the mowing and threshing machine. The rod 36 of the mowing beamV is driven from the shaft of the lower drum 2| by an eccentric- 35, the longitudinal to and fro movement of which rod is transmitted through an articulated` lever (not shown) to the knife (not shown) of the mowing beam- 25 and constitutes a drive connection to the header mechanism- The details of this drive need not be described. i5 is a straw discharger which is driven from the shaft I8v of the upper band by means of a belt I4.

The cereals which have been gripped by the guiding surfaces 3I, 32- and cut by the mowing beam 25 are thrown by the windlass 3U on to the conveying band 23, they are moved upwards and led to the threshing drum (not shown) between the bands 23 and 22 and the two band' cylinders 43, M, and dealt with in a manner known perse.

The tension roller I1 constituting' a clutch means is mounted eccentrically onthe crank end 33 of a shaft 33, which ismounted in the casing I of the combined mower andI thresherv and at its other end, the shaft 33 is provided with a handle 34. When the handle 34 is turned from the-right top end to the left lower end,` as can bc seenin Figure 4, thetension roller I1 comes into the position Il shown in dot and dash lines in Figure 3. In this condition the tension of the belt I2 is released and no transmission of power takes place between the shaft 5and the shaft I8; Thev conveying bands 22, 23, the straw discharger I5, the mowing beam 25 and the-windlass 30 are disconnected.

When the lever Sdis operated, a cam 31 mounted on the shaft 33 is also turned, the same abut-- ting against the brake jaw 38 which ispivotedI at 39 and presses the brake 33 against the rim 45 of the disc I6. In this way, as the tension of the belt I2 is released, the disc t3y and therewith all the individual aggregates driven through the shaft ISare at once stopped. When the-lever 34 is returnedv to its position, rst of all the brake 38 is released, whereupon. the belt I2 is again tensioned so that the disconnected. individual aggregates can again be quickly brought into oper'- ation. Since, as a rule, the operative parts lying before the threshing drum have to be disconnected for a short period of time the lever 34 is provided with a return spring 4I so that when s et free the connecting up can take place automatically.

It will be seen that in this way the mowing process can be interrupted for a short period of time with a minimum of expenditure without the largeV rotating masses of the threshing drum, strawI press,v elevator and scattering blower having tol bev disconnected.

I claim:

k1. A combined harvester and thresher machine: having a frame, a header mechanism, a feeder mechanism and a thresher mechanism carried by the frame, a power driven shaft journalled in the frame for driving the thresher mechaism, a second shaft rotatably mounted in the frame, a pulley on each of the shafts, a belt trained aroundl said pulleys, drive connections between said pulley on the second shaft and the feeder and header mechanisms and ciutch means for coupling said header simultaneously with the feeder mechanism independently of the thresher mechanism, said clutch means including a1 tension roller, a shaft for the tension roller journalled' in the frame, crank means on the tension roller shaft for mounting the roller, further meanscarried bythe tension roller shaft tor turn the shaft toward or away from the pulley onA the second named shaft, a brake jaw pivoted tothe frame. for movement toward and away fromthe pulley on the second named shaft, cam means on the tension roller shaft adapted to bear against the brake jaw and urge saidl jaw into engagement with the periphery of the pulley on the second named shaft when the tensiony roller shaft is turned to move the roller toward said pulley on the second named: shaft thereby arresting'the. drive from-the driven` shaft tothe-header and feeder mechanisms..

2. A maclnlne as dened in and claimed by claim- 1 further characterized inV that the diameter of the', pulley on` the secondv shaft is niate- References Cited in,A the file. of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,791,714 Conley Feb. 10, 1931 1,820,570' Krause Aug. 25, 1931 2,2083278 Orr Q July 16, 1940 

